Pioneering Kinks guitarist and wildman Dave Davies turns 66 today, so let’s take a moment to look back on this vastly underrated UK rocker’s achievements.

Dave formed The Kinks (then called The Ravens) in London in 1963. And when equally talented brother Ray Davies signed on as frontman, the group became The Kinks and history was made!

Davie’s loud and distorted guitar riffs, made by viciously slicing his amp with a rusty razor, paved the way for punk and heavy metal rock to come. His best licks can be heard on the unforgettable 1964 track “You Really Got Me,” which Davies also wrote.

Davies split with the Kinks in the late 60’s and had a pretty successful solo career in the UK with hits like “Death of a Clown,” which went to #3 on the British charts.

Unfortunately, a stroke sidelined Davies in 2004, but not for long. Davies returned to rock and showed us his spiritual side in 2007 with the LP “Fractured Mindz.”

To read more on the life and career of Dave Davies head on over to his official website www.davedavies.com and wish Dave a good one below!